Pride & Prejudice Book Club Podcast

When we started this podcast back in 2023, we never dreamed that we would one day get to meet one of our favorite authors, Jessie Lewis. So it was a huge shock when Jessie not only reached out to say she'd enjoyed the episodes we'd done on her books, but that she would be happy to answer questions about them, too!

And thus, a new type of episode was born. The author interview has now become a bookclub staple (with more great episodes on the way), and our appreciation of authors grows with each and every one!

In honor of Jessie's new book, Room for Improvement, which she co-authored with Amy D'Orazio, coming out on January 26th, 2026, we're re-releasing this episode to give some of our newer listeners a chance to discover it, and hopefuly bring joy to our long-time listeners who already know how fun an interview it was.

[This re-release also mildly improves on the audio quality of the interview, something that has bugged Emilie for a long time....]

We'll be back next week with some more book discussions, but for now, enjoy this throw-back episode of our interview with the amazingly talented Jessie Lewis.

 

🎵 Music Credit:
Pride & Prejudice Book Club Theme composed, performed, and arranged by Megan Mason.

📚 Curious what we will be reading next? See a list of upcoming books at prideandprejudicebookclub.com!

➡️ Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, or check out our blog and more at https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/!

We had the amazing opportunity to sit down and video chat with beloved narrator Benny Fife, the voice behind hundreds of audiobooks, including many fan-favorite Jane Austen variations. Benny shares how he built a full-time narration career from reading aloud to his kids, how he approaches iconic characters like Mr Darcy, and why dragons, space operas, and alien retellings all have a place in his creative world.

We also discuss networking at JaffCon, the struggles of voice acting with a cold, the evolution of his character choices, and even get a peek into the Pride and Prejudice–in–Klingon project he’s crafting as a true labor of love. If you enjoy behind-the-scenes storytelling, audiobook nerdery, or just want to hear from one of the most expressive voices in the JAFF universe, this episode will make your day.

🎵 Music Credit:
Pride & Prejudice Book Club Theme composed, performed, and arranged by Megan Mason

📚 Curious what we’ll be reading next?
See a list of upcoming books at prideandprejudicebookclub.com

➡️ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or sign up for our newsletter at
https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/newsletter

What happens when a Pride and Prejudice variation asks you to root for two genuinely good men vying for Elizabeth's heart? 

This week on the Pride and Prejudice Book Club, we’re tackling The Unthinkable Triangle by Joanna Starnes, a high-angst variation that puts Elizabeth Bennet at the center of a true love triangle with Fitzwilliam Darcy and Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam. And while Sharon delighted in finally getting a triangle where both men are real contenders, Emilie… really struggled.

We dig into why this trope is such a hard sell for Emilie, especially when Colonel Fitzwilliam is written as emotionally present, communicative, and deeply invested in Elizabeth, while Darcy spends much of the story yearning from a distance, holding himself back, and making choices that feel more like restraint than growth. 

That tension fuels a lively debate about whether Elizabeth’s emotional “switch” feels earned, whether Darcy’s love is grounded in reality or fantasy, and why the deepest betrayal in this book may not be romantic at all, but the fracture between two cousins who were once as close as brothers.

Along the way, we zoom out to talk about fantasy vs. real-life relationships, infatuation vs. love, and why — in the real world — the healthiest choice in a love triangle is often to walk away from everyone.

If you love messy emotional questions, debates about tropes, and honest takes on romance in literature, this episode will give you a lot to chew on!

🎵 Music Credit:
Pride & Prejudice Book Club Theme composed, performed, and arranged by Megan Mason

📚 Curious what we’ll be reading next?
See a list of upcoming books at prideandprejudicebookclub.com

➡️ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or sign up for our newsletter at
https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/newsletter

We’re closing out 2025 by looking back at every book we read and every interview we recorded this year… and, for the first time ever, we’re doing it with all three hosts together!

Alicia, Emilie, and Sharon are all here to geek out about favorite moments, standout books, and (of course) enjoy a few side-tangent conversations along the way.

If you’re new to the podcast, this episode is a great way to get quick summaries of the stories we covered and our reactions as we experienced them. And if you’re a longtime listener, we hope this feels like a fun jaunt down memory lane.

As we head into 2026, we just want to say thank you. It’s been such a joy discovering fellow Pride and Prejudice enthusiasts through this podcast, and we’re so excited to step into a new season with you!

Happy New Year, Book Clubbers!

🎵 Music Credit:
Pride & Prejudice Book Club Theme composed, performed, and arranged by Megan Mason.

📚 Curious what we will be reading next? See a list of upcoming books at prideandprejudicebookclub.com!

➡️ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or sign up for our newsletter at https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/newsletter!

If you’ve been around the JAFF world for more than five minutes, chances are you’ve already read a forced proximity book that takes place in a cottage during a snowstorm. You've also probably read a book by Abigail Reynolds. But have you read them both together?

Alone with Mr. Darcy is one of those books that everyone seems to have read, and has quietly set the standard for snowstorms, forced proximity, and Darcy doing his very best while being deeply attracted to Elizabeth (and more than a little confused).

In this episode, we talk about what Abigail Reynolds does so well as an author: creating deep emotional intimacy without leaning too hard on the tropes that drive us all a little crazy. The forced proximity, miscommunication, and snowstorm are all there, but they’re used to build tension without turning Darcy or Elizabeth into people you want to yell at. At the heart of it all is a Darcy who is deeply honorable, quietly persistent, and determined to do the right thing—even when he has no idea what went wrong.

Whether this was one of your first JAFF reads or the first time you've been snowed in with Mr Darcy, this is a cozy, nostalgic conversation about a book that has clearly earned its place on the OG JAFF bookshelf.

🎵 Music Credit:
Pride & Prejudice Book Club Theme composed, performed, and arranged by Megan Mason.

📚 Curious what we will be reading next? See a list of upcoming books at prideandprejudicebookclub.com!

➡️ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or sign up for our newsletter at https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/newsletter!